Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
“Well, it’s not like Garrett doesn’t deserve something coming to him.” She folds her arms. “Why didn’t you tell me he was being aggressive with you before?”
“I don’t know.” I lift a shoulder, shrugging. “I guess I just felt like it was small in comparison to everything else I’ve been going through.”
“But that doesn’t mean you deserve that, Willow.”
Silence surrounds us. I look toward the bookshelf, at the collection of Babysitter’s Club books lined on the second row. Faye’s favorite childhood books. Her comfort reads and the books she turned to when she didn’t want to face reality.
“I think I let it go on because it made me feel something, you know? Even if the feeling wasn’t good or healthy, I still felt something, and it reminded me that I was alive. After Warren disappeared, I swear I thought I was going to be numb for the rest of my life, Faye. So, I guess I clung to that feeling. Wanting it to be something, even if it hurt.”
She studies me, brown eyes glistening in the light. “I get that.” Her head drops, and she tugs the sleeve of her shirt down to conceal the scars on her wrist.
I grab her hand, giving it a squeeze. “We all have our demons, right? We’re all just trying to make it.”
“Cheesy as fuck hearing that out loud, but yeah. You’re absolutely right,” she agrees.
I release her hand, laughing and placing my tea on the coffee table.
“I just can’t believe out of all the people in the world, it’s me dealing with all of this with Caz,” I go on. “Surely there’s someone out there who is much more qualified to deal with universal hopping and Cold Tethers.”
She shrugs. “Apparently the universe chose you. Literally.”
My phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans, and I lean forward to pluck it out. At the sight of Garrett’s name on the screen, my breath catches.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Willow.” Caz’s voice is deep and laced with exhaustion.
I spring off the couch, rushing to a corner of the room. “Oh my God, Caz. Where are you? What did you do?”
“Interrogate me later. I’m on my way back to you.”
“Do you know where to go?”
“I’ll figure it out.” The line goes quiet.
In a low voice, I ask, “Did you kill him, Caz?”
He’s quiet for so long I think he’s hung up. I check the screen, and the seconds are still ticking by. He’s still there.
“Caz…”
“No,” is all he says, then the phone beeps. He hung up.
I turn to Faye, who is already looking at me with questions swirling in her eyes. “I need a ride back home.”
Chapter 26
CAZ
She’s angry. I know it. We may not be able to feel one another as intensely as we could in Vakeeli, but despite the lack of our Tether, I feel her frustrations radiating through me like a searing heat.
When I finally find the lot of her apartment, I spot her sitting on a bench in front of the building with her arms folded and eyes locked on her vehicle.
I push the button for the engine, and the engine dies. Then I step out, shutting the door behind me and meeting up to her.
She stands immediately, focusing on the collar of my shirt smeared in blood (that I’d tried covering with the new jacket she bought), then at my hands, which I washed before coming here.
“You are out of your fucking mind, Caspian Harlow!” she snaps through gritted teeth. “I told you to let him go! I told you to just behave—that’s it. Behave so we can figure out this damn Tether and Mournwrath and get you back home in peace!”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
But she ignores my apology and continues her tangent. “You can’t just run off and attack people, Caz! You just can’t! That’s not how this world works. I know Garrett’s a fucked-up person and he had no right putting his hands on me or calling you names, but you can’t behave that way here. God, I feel like I’m talking to a child or something! If you get caught, I can’t help you. I can’t pull strings here like you can in Vakeeli. Do you understand that? This is not your world! You can’t just go around like a damn vigilante trying to set the record straight!”
I reach forward, grabbing one of her hands, and she breathes raggedly, trying to snatch it away, but I don’t let her. I hold on to it with desperation, then slowly bring her palm to my chest so she can feel my heart beating. To my surprise, that calms her down just enough to stop resisting me.
“Willow, I’m sorry,” I say again, and she stares up at me, brown eyes glistening beneath the streetlamps. She’s on the verge of tears, and there’s a dull ache in my chest that I’m sure is coming from her. I feel awful for it all.